Nainital | Nine people were killed after their pick-up vehicle fell into a gorge on the Chedakhan-Midar Road in Uttarakhand's Nainital district early on Friday, police said.

The accident occurred around 8 am when the vehicle was going from Patlot to Amjad village, Senior Superintendent of Police (Nainital) Prahlad Narayan Meena said.

The vehicle fell into the gorge while trying to save a motorcycle approaching from the opposite direction, he said.

While six people died on the spot, three succumbed in hospital. A couple and their son were among those who died, Meena said.

Two people injured in the accident have been referred to a higher medical facility in Haldwani from a Community Health Centre in Okhalkanda, where they were admitted initially, the officer said.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami condoled the loss of lives and prayed for a speedy recovery of the injured.